Corruption
Curbing Asian corruption: an impossible dream?
Can Asian corruption be brought under control?
Authors:
J. S. T. Quah
Publisher:
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University, 2006
The rise of Asia is regarded in most of the world as primarily an economic phenomenon. Many Asian economies have consistently registered growth rates greatly exceeding the global average. Yet corruption remains a problem throughout the region, significantly cramping the extent and potential of Asia’s “rise”.
This paper explores why graft is a serious problem in Asian countries and asks whether it is possible to minimise it and thereby further improve and sustain economic growth.
The paper identifies the following major causes for corruption:
- inadequate wages force public employees to accept bribes in order to expedite citizens’ requests for services
- the expansive role of governments in national development throughout Asia increases opportunities for administrative discretion and corruption
- low risk of detection and punishment owing to Civil Services suffering from weak disciplinary control
- the Asian culture, particularly the primacy of the family and Asian traditions of gift giving fosters rampant corruption
- lack of political will combined with ineffective anticorruption strategies
The author argues that that curbing corruption in most Asian nations is difficult but is not an impossible dream. While countries have adopted different strategies for curbing corruption, these can be successful only if there is political will.
